


Obvious

by Ratmitri



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: 5 + 1 Things, Female My Unit | Byleth, I will make up for my criminal lack of Dedue in this fic in another one, M/M, No Beta, Pining, Seemingly unrequited love, The Blue Lions essentially play match maker for a whole fic while Felix angsts, There might be general spoilers for Felix's backstory + events
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-07-31 12:27:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20115097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ratmitri/pseuds/Ratmitri
Summary: Felix thinks that he's generally good at not showing his emotions. Kew word: thinks.Aka the 5 times the Blue Lions tried to meddle into Felix's love life and the one time they didnt have to.





	Obvious

**Author's Note:**

> It's really odd to be writing something here as a long time reader but hey, three houses came and punched me in the face wih feels so here's my first attempt at writing a fanfic I guess.
> 
> Full disclosure that I have not played the game yet and probably won't for a while so not everything might be 100% accurate.

1.

The first out of many people in his life to invite themselves into his personal business just happened to be Anette. 

They were on kitchen duty together, and he blames the girl's cheerful humming for his unguarded behavior when Sylvain walks in. 

Usually, he'd be silent whenever Sylvain would inevitably end up chasing another skirt, and watch his friend get rejected with a face of total indifference. This time, however, he let his facade down, and the split second of his annoyed expression earned him a knowing glance from Anette.

He curses himself as he tries to compose his expression, trying to seem nonchalant as the girl slaps Sylvain dramatically. Her friends giggle at that, and Sylvain tries his hardest to make his exit as smooth as he can, acting as if this was a normal occurrence. It wouldn't be, and it wouldn't have to be, if he'd just toned down the flirting and tried settling down. At the end of the day, he wasn't the worst guy to be around, and some women would surely appreciate a guy like him, probably some men as well, especially himself-

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Anette started shaking him violently, trying to warn him about the fire he had started. Thankfully, it hadn't escalated yet, so they managed to put it out rather quickly.

He didn't know how to act around her. All he knew is that she knew, and they're not that close, and he can't tell whether he should try to ignore it or to talk it out. Maybe he could threaten her if the reaction isn't positive?

" Hey... it's fine you know? I won't tell anyone, but you should probably tell him. "

He supposes that threatening is no a longer a necessity. He acknowledges what she said with a node, and leaves, still unsure of how to act around her. If Anette had anything to say about having to cook the rest of the meal by herself, she stayed silent. 

2.

After the Anette incident, he made sure to avoid confrontation with people, even more then usual, especially when Sylvain was involved. The task proved to be harder then he initially anticipated, as their new professor would push everyone to work together every opportunity she got.

He can't tell if it's because Byleth is a former mercenary and is used to teamwork, or if she just wants to see him suffer. The former would seem more reasonable, if not for the fact that he'd get paired up with Sylvain on nearly every assignment. 

She'd insist that the reason they were doing stable duty was due her wanting both of them to branch out and to get better with animals, and while Sylvain was a natural with a horse, Felix really wasn't, and he knew that even an outsider would be able to pick up on that. So seeing him suffer could probably be only attributed to her having some sort of sadistic ulterior motive, he just had to confirm it for himself.

He paced around the monastery for a while, not really knowing how to confront someone. Usually, he would barge into the professor's room and ask for a duel without any trace of embarrassment, but something about bringing light to a potentially unreal issue wasn't settling well with him, and he found that he couldn't be as direct as he would have liked to be.

His worries are gone the moment Byleth invites him for tea. Everyone knew of their professor's strange fascination with it, and being invited to one of her tea " parties " had become somewhat of a high privilege among the monastery inhabitants. He still couldn't tell if it was due to the fact that the tea parties were actually special or if it was due to half of the monastery having a crush on the new professor. 

When he actually got there, he had no idea what to do, so he just drank the cup of tea offered to him and let Byleth offer conversation topics to fill the silence with. Despite it being his first time drinking with her, he did feel at ease, and whether it was the tea or the professor's surprisingly interesting insight on topics that were curious to him, he did somewhat understand everyone's fascination with Byleth's tea parties more.

However, as life has proven to him multiple times, all good things must come to an end. His entire body nearly jolts when Byleth suddenly brings up Sylvain, and for the first time during the entire conversation, he makes direct eye contact, trying to see if it was a move to get a reaction out of him or not, but all he could see was the same expressionless gaze the professor always has. 

He calms down, and tries to keep his expression neutral. For all he knows, this could be just something that came up during a conversation by accident, they were talking about different student's performances, after all. And so he speaks, and hopes he sounds more confident then he feels.

" What about the big idiot? Can't you see for yourself? He's always missing training, chasing after women. You're gonna have to be harsher on him if you want him to not do the same to you, professor. " 

He probably sounds bitter, and he is, but Felix usually isn't exactly the most polite person naturally so he doesn't think that the response gave anything away. And if there's an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach about the idea of Sylvain actually flirting with Byleth, he doesn't acknowledge it.

" Does that bother you? Him flirting with someone? "

All he can think of is one thing: she knows. He shouldn't be so shocked, seeing as their professor has proven to be extremely perspective, however, having two people find out your biggest secret within two weeks isn't exactly the most comforting feeling. 

" Felix, you must understand that bottling down your emotions is not gonna help, talk to someone about this. I've called you here because I have noticed that your performance on exams hasn't been the best, especially after I brought Dorothea along for the last battle. You stared at Sylvain talking to her more then your enemies, and almost got critically injured. I do not wish to lose any students, understood? "

Her expression was the sternest he has ever seen, and this is probably the only time he's even seen her express emotions. It was nice to have her be concerned, even if he'd rather die then admit it to her. He wanted to shrug her off like Anette, but he supposes he can't quite avoid Byleth like he did with a classmate, and so he tries his best attempt at a natural smile and directs it at her.

" Thank you for your concern teacher. I'll be off. "

It sounds forced, and he's aware of it, but feigning friendliness will probably benefit him more long term in terms of getting Byleth off his back, and so he gets up and rushes straight to the training grounds, attempting to forget the exchange that just took place. 

3.

Felix doesn't usually like the library. It's quite, too quite, and while he usually doesn't like people talking, he is rather used to the sounds of swords clashing and people chatting after a battle.

He didn't even intend to come here, initially. The training grounds were all occupied by the Black Eagles students having some sort of special lesson, and he wasn't exactly allowed to stick around for that. The kitchen was out of question as Anette and Dimitri of all people were chatting there happily, and while he'd like to warn the rather nice girl against the boar, he doesn't think she'd take his claims very seriously, so he restrains himself and settles for the library instead.

He was planning to leave the library when a loud voice calls out to him, grabbing his, and every other persons in the library's attention. Ashe flushes in embarrassment at that, hiding his face behind a book. 

He doesn't really know what to make of the guy. On one hand, his optimism and talk of chivalry can be rather annoying, on the other hand, he knows that Ashe's a nice guy and that he's being unnecessarily harsh. He does still walk towards the boy, sitting in the open space that was left for him.

Silence soon fills the table. Felix guesses that the boy was immersed in the book he was reading but still wanted to appear friendly, hence the invitation. He didn't really feel like leaving knowing that his other place options weren't ideal, so he tried his best attempt at sounding interested.

" So, what are you reading about? "

Ashe must have not been expecting that question, as he stared at him with big, confused eyes. The expression was shortly replaced with a smile though, and he must have guessed correctly on the whole being immersed in the book thing, because he could swear that Ashe's eyes sparkled for a moment there.

" It's actually a really good story! It has these 3 nations on one continent, a bit like Fódlan, all going to war. It presents reasons on why each nation has a point in their actions with multiple perspectives, and it's very interesting! Some of the character's even remind me of us. "

" Of us? Hopefully we're not corpses on a war field then. "

" Don't say that! And also, no characters have died yet, I am rather early on in the story. But the similarities are rather fun to point out. For example, there's this gallant knight, a great fighter, but a horrible womanizer. "

" A horrible womanizer you say, huh? "

It's nice to know that even the library can't hide him from intrusive thoughts about Sylvain.

" Yeah! And then there's this very nice older lady, who talks just like Mercedes, she even has a best friend back home! There's even a character like you, you know? A cynical sword master who despite saying he's being forced to help others, is actually very nice deep down! "

" That doesn't sound like me at all. "

" Maybe not. Especially with the romance sub plot, I guess. "

" The romance sub plot? "

" Yeah! It's very odd. The book shows that he's very jealous whenever the womanizer guy flirts, and we're supposed to believe he's jealous of all the woman he could have, when it's clearly not the women that he's interested in! I don't get why the book would push that narrative when the womanizer knight is right there for him! They clearly like each other, you know? "

If someone in the library ended up having a book thrown in their face, Felix supposes it's a crime he can live with. He does give himself credit for not throwing Ashe's book though, Ashe's very odd book that is scarily accurate to his love life save for his feelings being mutual.

He gets up and runs away, again, ignoring Ashe's calls and questions on whether he had gotten to passionate. He knows that Ashe will figure his dramatic escape out, he's smarter then people give him credit for, but 'till then Felix feels extremely locking himself in his room and forgetting the whole ordeal. 

4.

Training for a few weeks helps, in a way. On one hand, he has bettered his sword technique significantly by not leaving the grounds for as long as he can, but on the other, the concerning looks everyone shoots him are getting harder and harder to ignore. 

At first, they try to be subtle about it, however, he can very clearly see Anette's brightly orange hair in the bushes and Ashe hiding behind the pillar, watching him, probably making sure he doesn't exhaust himself or something equally as dumb. 

With time, his housemates clearly lose some semblance of patience, as their " help " attempts grow increasingly more apparent and in turn, irritating. 

Surprisingly, it's Byleth who makes the first " move " by telling him to come with her and Mercedes to the infirmary, claiming that they've had too many battles to be careless about their own health.

He could almost believe her, almost. He knew the infirmary wasn't working due to professor Manuela's yet another alcohol induced love affair complaining session. He didn't know the details, but he knew from professor's Hanneman's screams in the hallway that the infirmary was a mess and that " no humans, no not even non- humans can physically step in there. "

And so, Felix declines the offer, and if his passive aggressive glare at Byleth offended her, she didn't show it.

The next was Ingrid, who didn't exactly come in as subtly as the others had been trying to be. The moment she saw him, she made sure to list off every little way his training sessions pissed her off, getting more and more worked up as she went off. She was angrier then usual, so Felix assumed Sylvain must have gotten himself into trouble again, and he gritted his teeth at the thought of him, but now was not the time. He probably should listen to what Ingrid was saying, because he knew the scolding could get worse as a coincidence.

" -nd you could get injured! Seriously, think about us for a second, we've got a bandit attack to deal with tomorrow, and you're out here exhausting yourself. If you can't care about people being concerned about you, at least care about your performance! "

" Do you think I don't? Why would I otherwise train so much. It's not my fault you and others have decided to waste your free time on fruitless efforts to get me out of a hypothetical dangerous situation that you have made up. "

He made sure to sound as harsh as he could, glaring at her as he spoke. Felix really did want to be left alone, and as far as he was concerned, everyone was a very big obstacle in achieving that. It's not like he never trains and that this is something out of character, he just doubled his efforts, as far as he can tell, that's more admirable then it is concerning. 

" Felix! I've know you since we were kids, just admit your whole reason of doing this so we can move past this! "

" And what would that reason be? As far as I am concerned, you're being a bother, goodbye. "

Felix attempted to walk away when he felt a strong grip yank him backwards, and he stumbles as he tries to not lose balance. Ingrid was firmly grasping his arm, and it was strong enough to pain him, but he tried to not let that be evident. It was pretty clear that she was insistent on not letting this go. 

" Felix, just admit you have feelings for Sylvain and let's be done with this whole mess. "

Felix tries to yank his arm away, but she just won't budge. He's at a point where he's accepted that everyone will know at some point, so he isn't shocked by her finding out. However, Felix is very stubborn and he does like having his arm intact, so he supposes that the situation is an inevitable one to walk out of and he should just accept his demise while he's at it. He lets out an exasperated sigh before speaking.

" And what if I do? Sylvain stops chasing women? We get married and live a happily ever after? You of all people know that we can't get what we always want, and I'd quite frankly rather not be reminded of what I can't have by literally every single person in this entire damn class. "

He hadn't intended to yell, he really didn't. She lets go of his hand, and seems genuinely shocked by the tone used. For a second, he considers apologizing, but is stopped by her hand settling on his shoulder, not gripping it, but rather gently rubbing it, as if she's trying to comfort him.

" ...You're right. I guess everyone way too... involved? We all kinda... forgot that your love life is yours, I suppose. I still think that you should tell him, and I also think that you should stop denying yourself. Telling him will soothe the pain, even if he doesn't reciprocate. Trust me... I'd know. "

He didn't know what to say. He couldn't exactly find it in himself to let out a crude remark after she admitting something that big and after he had just yelled at her. Felix briefly wonders who could Ingrid's unrequited love be before realizing that it's probably for the best if he leaves her business as hers. 

At the end, Felix settles for the awkwardest side hug, which seems to surprise Ingrid ( he really doesn't blame her here ). The only time they've been this close was probably when they were still kids, before... everything. He doesn't let himself think of the past, and instead lets her turn his awkward attempt at a friendly gesture into a regular hug. 

As odd as the encounter was, Felix thinks, that maybe, having people be concerned for him isn't the worst thing that can happen.

5.

War changes things. For one, there is less time to think, and everything has a sense of urgency to it. 

Sometimes, he thinks that his feelings are gone, because he hasn't thought of Sylvain in a while, and he ignores the voice of reason in his head that tells him that trying to not get fatally wounded is probably the reason for that.

And as much as he'd like to lie and say that 5 yeas were enough for him to get over Sylvain, his stupidity infatuating smile still awakens feelings in him that he'd rather burry.

If anything, them growing older did the opposite of helping, as Sylvain has somehow gotten even more handsome. His mind is constantly stuck in between being filled with scenarios of punching him in the face or yanking him by his hair and making out in the nearest secluded area. He can't tell which scenario he hates more.

Enough time has passed for everyone to calm down about the whole ordeal. No one really mentions his feelings, everyone sorta threats it as something that is just there. He knows Anette must have told Mercedes and he's convinced that even Dedue must have made an educated guess at this point. 

Felix isn't very religious, but he does silently pray to every God so that Sylvain never finds out. He has no idea how he went on for so long without having a clue, but Sylvain can be oblivious, but he could also know and be toying with him. Realistically, he knows that Sylvain would never actually do that, however, he can't help his mind from wondering to the worst scenarios he could think of.

His thoughts are interrupted by the sound of metal dropping near his feet, and he looks down, noting the impressive weaponry laying on the ground. Someone clears their throat, and Felix turns to his right, noticing the prince himself standing next to him, eyes full of expectation of something. 

" Felix... would you like a spar? "

He could refuse, but the swords on the ground are the best he has seen in quite some time, and he had been meaning to better himself against an opponent using a lance, and so he wordlessly picks up his weapon and gets into position.

When they fight, it's not filled with the same pent up anger Felix had always felt as a teenager upon seeing Dimitri. They hadn't made up, not yet, not ever, he thinks, but it's getting somewhat better. Felix is stubborn, he knows that, and yet even if he wasn't, it always felt like the hole in their relationship was too big to be filled, too significant to be fixed with one conversation. 

Felix loses, but he doesn't hold it against Dimitri, and accepts his hand as he gets up. They don't talk, not yet anyways, because if he knowns anything about Dimitri is that he wouldn't just offer to spar without a reason. It takes Dimitri approximately five minutes to crack.

" ...the sky's one of the nicest we had in a long time. The stars, the feasts, it really reminds me of our childhood, in an odd way. "

Felix looks at Dimitri skeptically, unsure on how to feel about bringing their childhood of all things up. He supposes he has been nicer then usual, so he closes his eyes and allows indulgence in this friendship for once. 

" ...I don't really remember that much. I remember Glenn would always try to drag me outside to the feasts while my dad was in the war meetings. If Glenn didn't drag me out, Sylvain would, and at the time I didn't know which one was worse. "

" ...Expect you knew. You have always known, haven't you. "

Dimitri's words are laced with double meaning, and he's too tired to care at this point, and maybe it's the booze he had earlier getting to him, but Felix doesn't feel the need to punch Dimitri for once.

" Maybe I have, who knows. It's not like anything will ever come out of this. "

" You won't know until you try, Felix. For someone so reckless you sure don't seem to take a lot of risks when needed to. "

He might need to rethink this thought about punching Dimitri.

" ...I didn't bring up the night being nice for no reason. You saw the happiness that Byleth and Mercedes shared upon finally confessing. How do you know you won't end up in their same situation if you don't try. "

The Dimitri next to him is suddenly sounding a lot more like his high school self rather then his current one, and he isn't sure if he likes the change. 

" ...Will I ever get my wish on everyone leaving me and my feelings alone? You know, it's been years, maybe I should, at this point, what do I have to lose. My family's dead, might as well lose a friend in the process. "

Felix stands up and leaves Dimitri behind. He doesn't look back, he doesn't want to see the whatever totally satisfied expression Dimitri has on. If everyone was so adamant about him confessing, then maybe he should. He doesn't even know where Sylvain is and so he goes back to the camp with one goal in mind: finally doing whatever had been practically begging him to do.

+1

In the end, Felix doesn't need to find Sylvain because Sylvain finds him instead. His memory from the night prior is blurry, but he does remember passing out, so waking up in Sylvain's bed sheets is probably the result of him being dragged here afterwards.

Felix groans as he tries to move abruptly, noticing the massive headache he has. He must have been drunker then he originally thought, because he couldn't even properly getting and sit.

The door opens and Sylvain walks in, holding out some sort of liquid with an oddly strong scent. He places the strange liquid in Felix's lap, probably expecting him to drink it. Felix shoots Sylvain a glare instead.

" Good morning to you too. And it's for headache! I swear! You can ask Mercie... if she and professor are ever done with the honeymoon phase of theirs, that is. "

Felix eventually complies and drinks the strange medicine, and surprisingly, it does help. While the headache is not completely gone, he's now conscious enough of his environment to realize that he's in Sylvain's bed, in his room. He tries to not let his mind wonder too much in that direction.

" ...Now that you're feeling better, can we talk? Uh, you said some stuff last night is I guess the best way to summarize the situation to you. I really doubt you'd be acting this fine if you remembered anything. "

Suddenly, he can't breathe. This is why he doesn't drink. Because now he remembers. He remembers trying to go to Sylvain and confess of all things. Felix looks up at the man in front of him, and tries to see any signs of discomfort or anything that may suggest that what he fears that took place did indeed take place, but all he can see are Sylvain's big dumb eyes staring at him, expecting him to say something.

" ...What did I do? "

Felix notices the shift in tone in the room. Suddenly, the air feels heavy, suffocating, and he knows that this time he couldn't ignore this by running away.

" Well, after I was done congratulating Mercedes and Byleth, I ended up wanting to go and check up on you. You and Dimitri were gone for a while, and I sorta figured you'd be here when he came back but you just... weren't back for a while. I sorta found you passed out near the camp, and brought you here. You didn't really talk much when I carried you to my room but then... "

" ...But then what? "

The question sat heavy in the air, with Sylvain making no attempt of answering it and Felix making no attempt at repeating it.  
The two just sat in silence, staring at each other before Sylvain broke the silence.

" ...Hey Felix, punch me...if this isn't fine. "

He didn't know what the cryptic warning meant up up until Sylvain shifted a lot closer to him, lifting a hand up to cup his face. Felix could already guess what was coming, but the moment their lips touched still felt surreal, because it's been years. Years of fantasizing and beating himself over this and he refuses to believe that the solution was right here all along.

" I guess this summarizes about what you did. You also said you love me, and I'm gonna take my best guess here and assume you still mean it by the fact that you did kiss me back. "

He doesn't properly register anything yet. Felix doesn't even acknowledge the fact that they have kissed. He's just... staring at Sylvain, still perplexed this isn't some dream.

" Oh, and for the record, love ya too, I sorts forgot to mention that part. "

Maybe this is a dream, so he pinches himself, which ends up being far more painful then intended, and he yelps in surprise. This only gets a bemused laughter out of Sylvain as he stares at Felix trying to compose himself back again.

He figures that they can properly talk later, but they're marching in the evening, and the sun is still out, and if Felix has this opportunity to do what he always wanted, why not use it? He brings Sylvain closer and kisses him again, and again, and thinks that maybe, just maybe, everyone might have been right all along.


End file.
